Have you looked for a patch to cover that hole, or faded bit on your favourite jeans? Cover the frayed edges of your shirt pocket? What about adding some colourful embellishment to an old jacket, but you just can't find the right patch to use?
Search no more! This guide will show you how to simply and effectively make your own unique patches, using your colour schemes and designs. And you really don't need any expensive supplies - if you are a sewer, you likely already have what you need in your stash. If you don't (yet) have a stash, your requirements are likely so small, that you can find what you need in someone else's stash, or inexpensively in a charity shop. Or buy a small collection of scraps from one of our kits.
Making a mending Patch
Hand-made patches are an easy way to add colour and individuality to garments and accessories. Perhaps you have a lovely piece of fabric stashed away at home but have no idea what to do with it; maybe the design on an old shirt or fabric scrap from a charity shop has caught your eye but it’s too small to be useful. Maybe you just want to add a fun flourish to your favourite jeans or jacket. A fabric patch is a wonderful way to do just that.
You will need:
· Fabric pieces with a fun design.
· Felt sheets in a variety of contrasting or coordinating colours OR pieces of denim fabric.
· Scissors
· Needle and thread
· Sewing pins or glue stick
Optional extras:
· A variety of embellishments such as sequins and buttons
· Fray-stop glue
Method
Select an area of fabric with a design you like, and you think would work well as a patch.
Carefully cut around the design. You don’t have to cut a regular shape (although you most certainly can) but try to follow the shape of the design leaving about 0.5cm around the edge for your stitching.
If you fancy adding a few embellishments like sequins to parts of the fabric you can do so now, or after you’ve attached the fabric to the felt, it’s entirely up to you. Just be gentle as the fabric is liable to fray as you handle it. If you think this might be a problem, you can run a line of Fray Stop around the cut edge of the fabric. Allow it to dry before proceeding.
Select a suitable piece of felt and place your fabric piece, right side up, on top of it. You can secure the two pieces together with a few pins or by putting a dab of glue in the middle to hold it in place.
Select a colour of thread to stitch the fabric down with – it could coordinate, contrast or clash – and consider how many strands you would like to use. Cut your thread, thread your needle, and tie a knot in the end of the thread. Sew a line of stitches around the outer edge of the fabric to secure it to the felt. Running stitch is an excellent option but try any stitch you fancy and know how to sew – different stitches will give different effects. Add as many more rows of stitching as you fancy; one row is perfectly sufficient, and more rows will create a different look.
When you have finished stitching, tie off and trim any loose ends. Don’t worry too much if the back is a bit messy, no one else is going to see it!
Trim the felt leaving a space of about 0.5cm between the edge of the fabric and your cutting line.
You have now made a unique sewn fabric patch suitable for mending and a piece of wearable art. Sit back and admire your work, then decide what you’re going to sew it on to and wear it with pride!
Ideas for using your patch(es)
· Sew it onto your clothing to cover a hole or stain, or to revive an old but beloved piece
· Glue it on to a blank card for a loved one
· Sew a safety pin or brooch back onto it and wear it as a brooch or gift it to a friend.
· Make small patches into earrings or pendants
· Sew it onto a hair pin
· Sew it on to a hair band and wear it as a fascinator
· Frame it and display on a wall at home
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